18 MAllEIAGE. 



* 



so much that they own a hundred or more, or the woman is 

 barren " (Gragas, i. 323). 



"If man and wife have equal property they shall make 

 partnership if they wish, which is also valid for their heirs. 

 The contract of betrothal is valid between man and wife 

 while its witnesses live and no other contracts are made. 

 But if the witnesses remembering it are dead, then their 

 property is in common, according to law, if he owned a 

 mark or more, and the mund was paid, and they have lived 

 together three winters or more. If they are poor and earn 

 property, their property is in common according to law. 

 According to law the joint partnership is always thus, that he 

 owns two parts, and she one- third " l (Gragas, i. 334:). 



" If a wife loses her husband, and they have lived twelve 

 months together, she owns one-third of the farm and of all 

 loose property, and her clothes besides " (Frostathing, xi. 6). 



" If a man marries a widow or maiden who owns a farm, he 

 owns nothing of the farm before they have lived together 

 twelve months. Then the laws lay their property together. 



" If two paupers marry according to the laws of the land, 

 and their property increases, then he owns two-thirds, and she 

 one-third of lands and loose property " (Frostathing, ix. 8, 9). 



" A man shall not take the property of his wife out of the 

 land, except with her consent. He shall rule over all their 

 property for their use. Neither of them shall by word or deed 

 forfeit the property of the other. Every man has the same 

 reti for his wife as for himself " (Earlier Gulathing's Law, 52). 2 



" If a man wants to leave the country with the property of his 

 wife, she may give full powers to any man she wishes to for- 

 bid him going, and prosecute him and the men who take him 

 away, if needed " (Gragas, i. 331). 



" A wife shall not refuse partnership to her husband. If a 

 man marries a maiden, they cannot enter into partnership 

 unless the men who have right to their inheritance assent ; but 

 if they have inheritance-born children, they can enter into 

 such partnership as they like. 



" If a man marries a widow, and she has children (inheri- 

 tance-born children) which are under age, and the man never- 

 theless wants to enter into partnership with her, ' then a 

 meeting shall be summoned of the children nearest of kin on 

 their father's side, and a partnership be made according to the 

 worth of their property ; land shall be valued against land, 



1 Cf. also Gulathing's Law, 53. | - Of. also Gragas, i. 331. 



